2018년도 소비자법 연구의 동향

Abstract

Retrospecting consumer law research trends over the years is important for the following reasons. First, by understanding the topics and importance of the annual research, we can know what kind of research our society needs about consumer law. Second, researchers can search for topics and perspectives that they have not yet discovered or recognized, and can prepare an opportunity to develop them as a follow-up study. Third, it can be emphasized by informing academics and society of the visible form of consumer law research. Major issues of consumer law research and areas of interest in 2018 are as follows. ① Consumer protection in e-commerce, responsibilities of online platform, consumer protection issues in the digital contents and games, etc., ② AI and the 4th industrial revolution and the consumer protection (especially the responsibilities and expressions of AI), ③ Consumer dispute resolution procedures (such as class action and consumer dispute settlement system), ④ Consumer safety protection, ⑤ Financial consumers (for example, research on smart contracts based on cryptography), ⑥ Clauses, ⑦ Indication and advertisement, ⑧ Punitive damages, ⑨ Travel contract, ⑩ The others, such as continuous contract. Research in 2018 shows that interest in the subject is changing compared to 2017. Consumer law research is sensitive to social phenomena and changes. The fact that the trend of research changes every year also means that the social, economic and institutional environment surrounding consumers is changing rapidly. Consumer law researchers should base their research on this feature by recognizing it correctly.